Is Your Diabetes Tech Adding to Your Stress?

What Was Studied and Why It Matters

Managing diabetes today often means juggling apps, continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), insulin pumps, and online patient portals — on top of medications, doctor visits, and lifestyle changes. While researchers have long measured the general burden of diabetes treatment, no one had a validated tool to measure the stress that comes specifically from using digital health tools.

A 2025 study published in BMC Medicine set out to fix that. Researchers tested a new 25-question survey called the Treatment Burden Questionnaire Plus Digital (TBQ+D) to see whether it could accurately capture how much the digital side of diabetes care weighs on patients.

What the Researchers Did

300 adults with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes completed the survey. Each question was scored from 0 (no burden) to 10 (maximum burden), giving a possible total score of 0–250. Researchers then checked whether the scores matched what they expected — for example, whether people using more devices reported higher burden scores.

What They Found

The survey proved highly reliable and revealed some important patterns:

• Type 1 vs. type 2: People with type 1 diabetes scored noticeably higher (61.7 vs. 45.7), likely because their management is more intensive.
• Insulin therapy: Those on intensive insulin regimens — multiple daily injections or an insulin pump — reported significantly more burden than those on other treatments.
• Heavy device users: Patients using digital tools most intensively felt more burdened than those using little to no technology.
• Social vulnerability: People facing social challenges such as low income or limited support reported higher burden scores — a reminder that tech-heavy care isn't equally accessible or manageable for everyone.
• Comfort with technology: Interestingly, being less comfortable with digital tools did not significantly raise burden scores on its own.

What This Means for Real Patients

If you ever feel overwhelmed by keeping up with your CGM data, troubleshooting your insulin pump, or navigating a diabetes app, you are not alone — and now there's a scientifically proven way to measure that feeling. This survey gives doctors and care teams a way to identify patients who are struggling with the digital demands of diabetes before burnout sets in.

It also highlights that the more devices and digital tools you use, the more support you may need. Whether you're managing supplies for a CGM or an insulin pump, having a reliable, simple source for your diabetes equipment matters. MDS Diabetes is designed to make that part of your routine as stress-free as possible — one less thing on your plate.

Bottom Line

A new validated survey called the TBQ+D can now accurately measure how much digital diabetes tools add to a patient's overall treatment burden. People with type 1 diabetes, those on intensive insulin therapy, heavy device users, and socially vulnerable patients feel the most strain. Sharing this kind of feedback with your care team could lead to a more manageable, personalized approach to your diabetes care.